HO CHI MINH CITY
2-5 October 2019
The ANCER Lab is a platform for critical conversations to take place on the development and management of arts and culture in Southeast Asia and aims to foster the development of wider and deeper participation in a sustained reflection on arts and cultural work. Held in specific locations in Southeast Asia, it is a fora for scholars, arts practitioners and researchers to engage in dialogue about emerging trends in the arts and cultural policy developments,particularly in that location.In Ho Chi Minh City, the Lab will focus on independent arts and culture spaces, their networks and systems of support, patrons and enablers.
The word ‘salon’ originates from the French language and is associated with a gathering of people in an exchange of ideas and knowledge, usually in the home of a patron – a famous example being Gertrude Stein’s literary salons in 1920s Paris. The patron has emerged as a vital enabler in the Southeast Asian arts ecology – whether it is an artist opening studio spaces or residencies for younger counterparts, a private collector, a private enterprise, or a cultural institute. How do these systems of support function, what is their role in developing the ‘grassroots’ in arts and culture and what are the limitations or opportunities for future enterprise? How do they connect with a city’s or country’s aspirations in developing its arts and cultural infrastructure in the age of creative cities? Our gathering in Ho Chi Minh City hopes to be a ‘salon’ where these questions will be discussed.
Read an account of the trip by MA Arts & Cultural Leadership student Joelyn Yep (Class of 2020) here.
Visit the websites of the groups we met and learn more about the work they do:
MoT+++ http://motplus.xyz/home/
The Factory Contemporary Arts Centre https://factoryartscentre.com/en/home/